Tools for applying cable ties about a bundle of wires or similar articles are well known. These tools may be manual, semi-automatic, or automatic. With respect to automatic cable tie installation tools, cable ties are typically fed to the tool from a continuous strip or reel of ties. The reel of ties may be contained in a cartridge that is mounted directly on the tool or supported in a remote dispenser which is interconnected to the tool by a hose. Typical examples of such cable tie installation tools and cartridges and dispensers therefor are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,790,225, 4,371,011 and 3,976,108.
In many of the tools of the prior art, individual cable ties are cut from a continuous strip of such cable ties and then an individual cable tie is fed to the installation tool where the tool applies the cable tie around a bundle of wires or other objects. These cable tie dispensing and installation tools of the prior art are not without problems. Quite often, complicated mechanisms must be employed to accommodate a continuous strip of cable ties, individually cut the cable ties from the strip and feed the individual cable tie to the installation tool. This procedure is further complicated where the installation tool is located distally from the dispenser. Such remote location of the tool with respect to the dispenser results in various problems such as jamming of the ties and inaccurate dispensing or positioning of the tie. This results in misalignment of the tie within the tool and subsequent retention problems after tying is complete.
In certain designs, a rotating drum supports a continuous strip of cable ties. Rotation of the drum moves each tie to a firing chamber where the tie is cut and fired to the tool. However, such drums are bulky and contribute significantly to the size and weight of the unit.
In feeding cable ties individually from a bundle of ties to the installation tool, the individual cable ties must be cut from a continuous strip. Many of the cable tie dispensers include mechanisms for effecting cut-off of the cable tie from the strip. In the efficient operation of the cable tie installation tool in a continuous, repetitive installation process, it is important to ensure that the individual cable tie is cut from the reel in a clean fashion, i.e., the cable tie should be cut from the reel without significant residual burrs or distortion so that the cable tie may traverse through the dispensing system and to the installation tool and may be applied around a bundle of wires or cables without interruption. In order to assure that the cable ties are cut cleanly from the strip, the strip of cable ties must be delivered to the cutting mechanism in an aligned fashion.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a simpler and more reliable system for delivering cable ties to a dispenser and accurately severing an individual cable tie from the strip so as to accurately deliver the individual cable tie to a cable tie installation tool.